Teaching Children How to Properly Care for Their Dentures

Though children rarely need dentures, surprising oral damage or severe health issues may cause some to lose their teeth at a young age. And while the loss of baby teeth isn't a problem, the loss of their full-grown adult teeth will be an issue that may require the use of high-quality dentures.

Unfortunately, children may lack the proper care and restraint that is necessary for taking care of dentures. Thankfully, parents can work with dental health specialists to ensure that their child doesn't damage their dentures or further harm their oral health.

Parents concerned with their child's dentures should sit down with the child and talk about their new oral devices. For example, parents need to reinforce how dentures help a child's oral health and prevent visits to the dentists. Most children will appreciate their parents being honest with them in this way.

Just as importantly, parents need to talk to the child about the importance of daily denture care and maintenance. Also discuss the importance of using mouth guards and other protective devices while playing with friends or competing in sports games. In this way, a child can be prepared for rougher fun with their friends without worrying about damaging their dentures.

Children may have a bad habit of taking their dentures out at the end of the night and not soaking them in the proper solution. These children aren't necessarily misbehaving or making a scene but may honestly forget. This new ritual is one that will be hard for some children to understand at first and may be ignored the way other nightly care methods are forgotten.

As a result, parents need to go into a child's bedroom at night and make sure that they remove their dentures and store them in the proper solution. And when cleaning the dentures, parents also need to make sure that the children don't soak them in hot water. Excessively warm water may cause the dentures to warp and struggle to fit in a child's mouth.

Just as importantly, the storage container for a child's dentures should be strong, durable, and easy to close and open. Try to find a container that has fun decorations, such as cartoon characters, printed on the side. This step helps entertain the child and makes their oral care more fun.

Parents of children with dentures need to make sure that they model proper behavior for their child's denture care. For example, parents should make sure that they brush and floss their teeth every day to show children how to behave. And if the parent has dentures, they can use their proper care methods to showcase the simple techniques necessary to keep dentures strong.

Just as importantly, parents should avoid abusing their teeth in ways that children may mimic. For example, don't tear open plastic wrap with the teeth or eat hard foods, such as popcorn kernels. Parents who avoid this type of problematic behavior show their children how to prevent oral health concerns that could complicate the care of the dentures in negative ways.

Parents trying to take care of a child with dentures may run into a large number of concerns that are hard to prepare for without proper help. As a result, their child may experience issues with their dentures that lead to further problems with their oral health.

Therefore, parents need to know when to ask for help. There is no shame in asking a qualified professional for care tips and techniques in this situation. Please don't hesitate to contact Advanced Dental Care if you have questions about your child's dentures.